NOAA Fisheries Service is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of funding and operation of Columbia River hatchery programs supported by the Mitchell Act. The EIS will inform decisions about Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance for all Columbia River hatchery programs. it will evaluate the environmental effects of operating those hatcheries under a range of alternative scenarios intended to reduce or minimize adverse effects of hatchery operations on natural-origin salmonid populations, while continuing to pursue each program's objectives.

The EIS will better inform NOAA Fisheries Service, hatchery operators, and the public on cumulative environmental impacts of Columbia River hatchery operations in conjunction with other activities occurring in the region. While NOAA Fisheries Service anticipates using information generated by the EIS to guide its ESA determinations for both Mitchell Act and non-Mitchell Act hatchery programs, the document itself will not result in decisions on ESA compliance. The EIS will also steer distribution of Mitchell Act funding and operation of Mitchell Act-supported hatchery programs.

For more information on the Mitchell Act Hatchery EIS, contact Allyson Purcell at 503-736-4736.